Illustration of rhinoceros
rhinoceros
noun
rhi·noc·er·os
rī-ˈnä-sə-rəs 
rə-,
-ˈnäs-rəs
plural rhinoceroses also rhinoceros or rhinoceri
rī-ˈnä-sə-ˌrī
rə-
: any of a family (Rhinocerotidae) of large heavyset herbivorous perissodactyl mammals of Africa and Asia that have one or two upright keratinous horns on the snout and thick gray to brown skin with little hair
Examples of rhinoceros in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Douglas-Hamilton escaped that scare but dealt with many others—sometimes getting charged by elephants, once getting trampled by a rhinoceros, and surviving plane crashes as well as getting shot at by poachers.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
In other words, the experiments strongly pointed to Neanderthals having used the rhinoceros teeth as tools, most likely for hammering rock.
—
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
The race shirt and medal for the race this year featured an adult rhinoceros like Hazina's mom, Kapuki, and the kids' course medal featured a rhinoceros calf.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
And in Africa—where recent conservation efforts have helped halt steep declines in the numbers of elephants and rhinoceroses—its value proposition is particularly striking.
—
Alexandra Kirkman,
Fortune,
18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rhinoceros
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Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
In other words, the experiments strongly pointed to Neanderthals having used the rhinoceros teeth as tools, most likely for hammering rock.
—
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
The race shirt and medal for the race this year featured an adult rhinoceros like Hazina's mom, Kapuki, and the kids' course medal featured a rhinoceros calf.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
And in Africa—where recent conservation efforts have helped halt steep declines in the numbers of elephants and rhinoceroses—its value proposition is particularly striking.
—
Alexandra Kirkman,
Fortune,
18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rhinoceros
Cite this Entry
“Rhinoceros.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhinoceros. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rhinoceros
noun
rhi·noc·er·os
rī-ˈnäs-(ə-)rəs
plural rhinoceroses also rhinoceros
: any of various large plant-eating mammals of Africa and Asia that are related to the horse and have a thick skin with little hair, three toes on each foot, and one or two heavy upright horns on the snout
Etymology
Middle English rinoceros "rhinoceros," from Latin rhinocerot-, rhinoceros (same meaning), from Greek rhinokerōt-, rhinokerōs, literally "nose-horned," from rhin-, rhis "nose" and keras "horn"
Word Origin
One of the largest animals found on land today is the thick-skinned rhinoceros. Another of the animal's characteristics, besides large size, is found on its snout. All rhinoceroses have at least one horn, and some have two horns. The English name for this animal with a horn or horns on its snout was borrowed from Latin rhinoceros. The Latin name, in turn, came from the Greek word rhinokerōs, which literally means "nose-horned." This word is made up of the Greek word rhin-, rhis, meaning "nose" and the word keras, meaning "horn."
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